1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging system for forming an image on the basis of image data entered into the imaging system, and more particularly to an imaging system that adjusts resolution of the image data according to an output resolution of a printer that is used for making a hard copy of the image.
2. Background Arts
An imaging system has been known in the art, wherein electronic images are taken out from different kinds of storage media, and are processed for correcting the image quality or for synthesizing with an optional template image, to print out hard copies of the electronic images. The imaging system consists of image input devices, a computer and a printer. As the image input devices, there are a reflective scanner that reads out electronic images from reflective originals, such as a photo-print printed on photographic paper and other kinds of printed matters printed on reflective recording material, a film scanner that reads out electronic images from negative or positive film, and a card reader that reads out digital image data from a storage card, the digital image data being picked up through an electronic still camera, called a digital still camera.
The Image data read in through the image input device is temporarily stored in a storage medium, like RAM, and the computer processes the image data for gamma-conversion, YMC conversion and the like, for modifying image size or magnification, or for synthesizing a plurality of images. The printer prints out hard copies based on the processed image data.
Because the output resolution of the printer is determined, the resolution of the entered image should be matched to the output resolution, in order to obtain adequate quality of the printed image. That is, if the resolution of the entered image differs from the output resolution, the image data is interpolated or decimated to adjust the image resolution to the output resolution. Since there are such image scanners that can preset the input resolution for reading the image, it would be unnecessary to convert the resolution of the entered image if the input resolution of the scanner is preset to a value that is optimum in view of the output resolution of the printer. Where the scanner may have a remarkably higher resolution than the output resolution, adjusting the input resolution to the output resolution saves both the time for reading the image data (i.e. the time for scanning the image) and the memory capacity necessary for storing the image data, because unnecessary or redundant image data is skipped.
However, it has conventionally been necessary for the operator to set up the input resolution of the scanner for each individual image. Especially when a plurality of images are to be read out from different originals and pasted in different segments of a template image, the input resolution must be set up for each image on the basis of an image magnification or reduction rate that is calculated for each image in consideration of the original image size and the print size of the pasted segment of that image. Where the input resolution of the scanner is adjustable by selecting from among several options, it is necessary to select the nearest value to the calculated resolution.
For calculating and setting the input resolution based on the image magnification or reduction rate, the operator must take many operation procedures, so the risk of setting a wrong value is pretty high.